Systems and methods for managing and processing vehicle operator accounts based on vehicle operation data

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for analyzing vehicle operation data associated with a temporary or periodic usage of a vehicle by a driver. In aspects, the driver may associate with an electronic device within the vehicle that may record or collect the vehicle operation data. After the vehicle operation has concluded, the vehicle operation data may be analyzed to assess a performance of the driver during operation of the vehicle, whereby the performance may be influenced by positive or negative driving events. Based on the performance of the driver, a profile or account of the user may be processed accordingly such that the user may be incentivized to modify certain driving behaviors.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to analyzing vehicle operatorperformance. More particularly, the present disclosure may relate tosystems and methods for collecting operation data during operation of avehicle and processing accounts or profiles of vehicle operators basedon the detected operation events.

BACKGROUND

There are numerous opportunities and circumstances in which individualsmay operate vehicles, either rented vehicles or vehicles that theindividuals may own. With the proliferation of the “sharing economy,”these opportunities and circumstances are increasing. For example,individuals have increasing access to rental vehicles offered by rentalcar companies as well as to shared vehicles offered by car sharingcompanies. For further example, ride sharing services or transportationnetwork companies enable individuals to use their own vehicles totransport other individuals who request rides.

Currently, there exist no systems to process an individual's drivingperformance when operating a vehicle either for vehicle rental, vehiclesharing, or ride sharing purposes. As a result, there are no safedriving incentives for individuals who operate vehicles in thesecircumstances, and individuals are not rewarded for their safe driving.Of course, any unsafe driving behaviors are generally priced into costsassociated with the services, including vehicle repair and maintenancecosts, as well as vehicle insurance. Further, passengers in ride sharingservices are not able to gauge a performance of the drivers available inthe ride sharing services.

Accordingly, there is an opportunity to effectively and accuratelyassess vehicle operator performance, as well as incentive/reward certainperformance and avail relevant performance data associated with vehicleoperators.

SUMMARY

According to one embodiment, a computer-implemented method of processingdriver accounts associated with detected driver events in a vehicle isprovided. The method includes associating a driver of the vehicle withan electronic device located within the vehicle, tracking operation ofthe vehicle by the driver, the tracking facilitated by a set of sensorsassociated with at least one of the electronic device and the vehicleand resulting in a set of vehicle operation data, and detecting aconclusion of the operation of the vehicle by the driver. The methodfurther includes: responsive to detecting the conclusion, analyzing theset of vehicle operation data to calculate a quantitative driving scorefor the driver, determining, based on the quantitative driving score,that the driver is eligible for an incentive or reward, and applying theincentive or reward to an account associated with the driver.

In another embodiment, a computer-implemented method of processingdriver accounts associated with detected driver events in a vehicle isprovided. The method includes associating a driver of the vehicle withan electronic device located within the vehicle, detecting an initiationof a trip associated with the vehicle, the trip being facilitated by thedriver, and tracking operation of the vehicle during the trip, thetracking facilitated by a set of sensors associated with at least one ofthe electronic device and the vehicle and resulting in a set of vehicleoperation data. The method further includes detecting a conclusion ofthe trip, responsive to detecting the conclusion, analyzing the set ofvehicle operation data to calculate a quantitative driving score for thedriver, and adjusting a driver rating of the driver based on thequantitative driving score.

In a further embodiment, an electronic device associated with a vehiclefor processing driver accounts associated with detected driver events inthe vehicle is provided. The electronic device includes a communicationinterface configured to collect data, a memory adapted to storenon-transitory computer executable instructions included in anapplication, and a particularly programmed processor adapted tointerface with the communication interface. The processor is configuredto execute the application to cause the processor to: associate a driverof the vehicle with the electronic device located within the vehicle,track, via the communication interface, operation of the vehicle by thedriver, the tracking facilitated by a set of sensors associated with atleast one of the electronic device and the vehicle and resulting in aset of vehicle operation data, detect a conclusion of the operation ofthe vehicle by the driver, responsive to detecting the conclusion,analyze the set of vehicle operation data to calculate a quantitativedriving score for the driver, determine, based on the quantitativedriving score, that the driver is eligible for an incentive or reward,and apply the incentive or reward to an account associated with thedriver.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The figures described below depict various aspects of the system andmethods disclosed herein. It should be understood that each figuredepicts an embodiment of a particular aspect of the disclosed system andmethods, and that each of the figures is intended to accord with apossible embodiment thereof. Further, wherever possible, the followingdescription refers to the reference numerals included in the followingfigures, in which features depicted in multiple figures are designatedwith consistent reference numerals.

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary environment including components andentities associated with collecting vehicle operation data andprocessing operator accounts or profiles accordingly, in accordance withsome embodiments;

FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary signal diagram associated with collectingvehicle operation data and processing operator accounts or profilesaccordingly, in accordance with some embodiments;

FIGS. 3A and 3B depict exemplary interfaces associated with presentingvehicle operation data and an associated operator profile, in accordancewith some embodiments;

FIGS. 4A and 4B depict exemplary interfaces associated with presentingvehicle operation data and associated operator account information, inaccordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary flow diagram associated with collectingvehicle operation data and processing operator accounts or profilesaccordingly, in accordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary electronic device inaccordance with some embodiments; and

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an exemplary processing server inaccordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present systems and methods relate to collecting operation data fromvehicles and processing accounts or profiles associated with operatorsof the vehicles. The systems and methods may be facilitated by one ormore electronic devices or components that are associated with orotherwise located within vehicles. In particular, the electronic devicesmay be mobile devices belonging to individuals (e.g., a tablet orsmartphone), on-board telematics platforms installed in the vehicles,and/or sets of sensors in the vehicles. The electronic devices mayconnect to one or more back-end servers, such as back-end serversassociated with a vehicle manager entity (e.g., a vehicle rental agency,a transportation network company, or the like).

In operation, an individual may register or otherwise associatehimself/herself with a vehicle and one or more electronic devicesthereof, such that the individual may be deemed the vehicle operator ordriver. Operation of the vehicle may be initiated, where the operationmay be trip-based (e.g., going from a departure location to adestination location) or ignition-based, whereby the vehicle isoperating when the ignition of the vehicle is “on.” During operation ofthe vehicle, a set of operation data may be sensed and collected by oneor more of the electronic devices or components. In particular,acceleration, velocity, braking, turning, and other operating data maybe collected and sensed. In some embodiments, the one or more electronicdevices or components may transmit the collected set of operation datato the back-end server(s).

The systems and methods may analyze the set of operation data toidentify various operation/driving events, such as accelerations,instances of exceeding the speed limit, hard brakes, hard turns, contactwith other vehicles or objects, and/or other driving events. Based onthe detected driving events, the systems and methods may calculate adriving score for an individual to reflect a performance of theindividual on a particular operating instance of the vehicle. Thedriving score may be a quantitative or qualitative measure that may becompared against various baseline or threshold measurements.

According to embodiments, the systems and methods may also facilitatevarious functionalities associated with the calculated driving score. Inone implementation, the systems and methods may determine a reward,credit, discount, or the like (or a penalty, surcharge, or the like)based on the calculated driving score. In another implementation, suchas in a ride sharing service, the systems and methods may adjust arating or other metric of a driver based on the calculated drivingscore. Of course, it should be appreciated that additionalfunctionalities are envisioned.

The systems and methods therefore may offer numerous benefits. Inparticular, drivers or operators may be appropriately rewarded orpenalized for any detected driving events. The rewards/penalties maytherefore incentivize drivers to exercise greater care and caution whenoperating vehicles, resulting in fewer incidents, damage, and injuries.As a further result, the costs associated with repairing and insuringthe vehicles are reduced and the savings may be passed down tocustomers, such as customers who rent vehicles. Additionally, driverswho participate in ride sharing services may see their driver profilesimprove, thus attracting passengers to those particular drivers. Itshould be appreciated that additional benefits associated with thesystems and methods are envisioned.

FIG. 1 depicts an example environment 100 associated with collectingvehicle operation data and facilitating various associatedfunctionalities including processing operator accounts or profiles.Although FIG. 1 depicts certain entities, components, and devices, itshould be appreciated that fewer, additional, or alternate entities andcomponents are envisioned.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the environment 100 includes a set of vehicles105, 106, 107 which may be, for example, cars, trucks, motorcycles,motorbikes, scooters, boats, recreational vehicles, or any other type ofvehicle capable of being operated or driven by a vehicle driver oroperator. Although FIG. 1 depicts three (3) vehicles 105, 106, 107, itshould be appreciated that fewer or more vehicles are envisioned. Eachof the vehicles 105, 106, 107 has one or more respective electronicdevices 110, 111, 112 associated therewith. In particular, theelectronic devices 110, 111, 112 may be respectively installed as anon-board telematics platform of the vehicles 105, 106, 107, such as partof an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) installation on the vehicles105, 106, 107. Further, the respective electronic device 110 may belongto a respective individual associated with the vehicles 105, 106, 107such as an operator or a passenger. For example, the electronic device110, 111, 112 may be any one of smartphones, notebook computers,tablets, phablets, GPS (Global Positioning System) or GPS-enableddevices, smart watches, smart glasses, smart bracelets, wearableelectronics, PDAs (personal digital assistants), pagers, computingdevices configured for wireless communication, and/or the like.

It should be appreciated that each of the vehicles 105, 106, 107 mayinclude multiple electronic devices. For example, the vehicle 105 mayinclude an on-board telematics platform as well as a mobile device ofthe vehicle operator. The multiple electronic devices are capable ofcommunicating with each other. For example, an on-board telematicsplatform may collect vehicle operation data and transmit the vehicleoperation data to a smartphone of the vehicle operator. It shouldfurther be appreciated that the vehicles 105, 106, 107 may havedifferent amounts of respective electronic devices 110, 111, 112 (e.g.,the vehicle 105 may include a smartphone and an on-board telematicsplatform, and the vehicle 106 may include a tablet).

Although not illustrated in FIG. 1, in some implementations each of thevehicles 105, 106, 107 may include a set of sensors configured to detectand collect various telematics data. According to some implementations,the set of sensors may include any type of sensor configured to detectvehicle movement or general operation including, for example, a brakingsensor, a speedometer, a tachometer, a throttle position sensor, anaccelerometer, an optical sensor, a microphone, a gyroscope, a locationmodule (e.g., GPS sensor), and/or others. The set of sensors aregenerally configured to measure vehicle operation data. In some specificinstances, the set of sensors may also be used to monitor vehicle lanedeviation, vehicle swerving, vehicle lane centering, vehicleacceleration along a single axis or multiple axes, and vehicle distanceto other objects. It should be appreciated that these types of sensorsand measurable metrics are merely examples and that other types ofsensors and measurable metrics are envisioned. Each of the electronicdevices 110, 111, 112 may interface with the set of sensors to retrieveany recorded vehicle operation data.

In some implementations, the electronic devices 110, 111, 112 maythemselves include a set of sensors configured to collect telematicsdata. For example, a smartphone may have a built-in accelerometer,location module, optical sensor, and/or the like. For further example,an on-board telematics platform may be configured to collect brakingdata, acceleration data, location data, turning data, and/or other dataassociated with operation of the respective vehicle. Effectively, theset of electronic devices 110, 111, 112 may be configured to collectrelevant vehicle operation data via interfacing with sensors of thevehicles 105, 106, 107, via interfacing with additional electronicdevices within the vehicles 105, 106, 107, and/or via collecting datathemselves.

The electronic devices 110, 111, 112 can each be configured tocommunicate with a vehicle manager 115 via a network 120. The network120 can facilitate any type of data communication via any standard ortechnology (e.g., GSM, CDMA, TDMA, WCDMA, LTE, EDGE, OFDM, GPRS, EV-DO,UWB, IEEE 802 including Ethernet, WiMAX, Wi-Fi, and/or others). Thevehicle manager 115 can be any individual, group of individuals,company, corporation, or other type of entity that can receive data fromthe electronic devices 110, 111, 112 and process any of thefunctionalities discussed herein. For example, the vehicle manager 115may be a car rental agency having vehicles available for rental bycustomers. For further example, the vehicle manager 115 may be centralserver associated with a transportation network company such as a ridesharing service. According to embodiments, the vehicle manager 115 caninclude one or more processing server(s) 130 configured to facilitatevarious of the functionalities as discussed herein. Although FIG. 1depicts the processing server 130 as a part of the vehicle manager 115,it should be appreciated that the processing server 130 can be separatefrom (and connected to or accessible by) the vehicle manager 115.

The processing server 130 may maintain accounts or profiles associatedwith operators of the vehicles 105, 106, 107. For example, an operatormay have an account with a vehicle rental agency, whereby the accountmay maintain payment information, discount or credit information,operator performance data, and/or other information. For furtherexample, an operator may have a profile with a transportation networkcompany, where the profile maintains an operator rating (e.g., a scorefrom 1-5), reviews, and/or other information. The processing server 130may interface with a database 125 to store and retrieve data, such asdata relating to the accounts or profiles of the operator, collected orprocessed vehicle operation data, and/or other data.

According to embodiments, the operators (and the telematics datacollection) have a temporary association with the vehicles 105, 106,107. For example, an operator may rent one of the vehicles 105, 106, 107from a vehicle rental agency. For further example, an operator may usehis or her own vehicle in a ride sharing service to transport apassenger from an origin to a destination, whereby any usage by theoperator outside of the ride sharing service may not be factored intoany driving assessment. Accordingly, the temporary association may berepeated over time. These scenarios are in contrast to normal operationof a vehicle by the vehicle owner or someone who normally operates thevehicle.

Referring to FIG. 2, illustrated is an exemplary signal diagram 200associated with collecting vehicle operation data and facilitatingvarious functionalities relating thereof. FIG. 2 includes an individual201, an electronic device 210 (such as the electronic device 110 asdiscussed with respect to FIG. 1), and a vehicle manager 215 (such asthe vehicle manager 115 as discussed with respect to FIG. 1). Thevehicle manager 215 may include one or more processing servers (such asthe processing server 130 as discussed with respect to FIG. 1) thatfacilitate various of the functionalities. The electronic device 210 andthe vehicle manager 215 may exchange data and information via a networkconnection (such as one of more of the network(s) as discussed withrespect to FIG. 1).

The individual 201 and the electronic device 210 may be located withinor otherwise associated with a vehicle 205 (such as the vehicle 105 asdiscussed with respect to FIG. 1). According to embodiments, theindividual 201 may be driver or operator of the vehicle 205. Further,the electronic device 210 may belong to the individual 201 (e.g., asmartphone of the individual 201) or may be installed within the vehicle205 (e.g., an on-board telematics platform). As discussed above withrespect to FIG. 1, there may be multiple electronic devices 210configured to collect and process relevant vehicle operation data. Inone embodiment, the electronic device 210 may interface with an existingtelematics platform of the vehicle and/or with a set of sensors of thevehicle.

The signal diagram 200 may begin when the individual 201 attempts (232)to log into the electronic device 210 or otherwise associate him/herselfwith the electronic device 210. In some implementations, the electronicdevice 210 may support a dedicated application associated with thevehicle manager 215. For example, if the vehicle manager 215 is atransportation network company, the individual 201 may log into anoperator-specific version of an application that maintains trip statsand a driver rating. For further example, if the vehicle manager 215 isa vehicle rental agency, the electronic device 210 may support a vehiclerental application configured to track operation of the vehicle 205 aswell as monitor the terms of a vehicle rental agreement (e.g., duration,mileage, etc.). Because the vehicle 205 may be a rental vehicle, theelectronic device 210 may enable various individuals to associatethemselves therewith, as over the course of a time period, the rentalvehicle may have a plurality of operators.

The electronic device 210 may facilitate (234) a login of the individual201 with the vehicle manager 215. In particular, the individual 201 mayhave an account, profile, agreement, or some other association with thevehicle manager 215. For example, if the vehicle manager 215 is atransportation network company, then the individual 201 may be a driverfor a ride sharing service and may be able to log into a dedicatedapplication while “on duty” (i.e., available to pick up and transportpassengers), or when the driver picks up an individual for a trip.

In some implementations, the individual 201 may associate him/herselfwith the electronic device 210 by making a selection on the electronicdevice 210. For example, the individual 201 may explicitly select toinitiate a trip. In other implementations, the electronic device 210 mayautomatically associate the individual 201 with the electronic device210. For example, the electronic device 210 may detect ignition of thevehicle 205, and may already have an identification of the individual201 programmed. For further example, the electronic device 210 maydetect the individual 201 via a short-range communication (e.g., NFC,RFID, Bluetooth®, etc.), via biometrics, or via other detectionmechanisms.

After the individual 201 is logged into the electronic device 210 orotherwise associated with the electronic device 210 (or the vehicle205), the electronic device 210 may monitor (236) or otherwise recordvarious telematics data that corresponds to the operation of the vehicle205 (generally, a set of operation data). According to embodiments, theelectronic device 210 may collect, monitor, and/or record the telematicsdata throughout operation of the vehicle 205, and/or whenever theindividual 201 is associated with the vehicle 205. For example, if theindividual 201 rents the vehicle 205 for a three (3) day period, theelectronic device 210 may monitor the telematics data whenever theindividual 201 operates the vehicle 205 within that three (3) dayperiod. For further example, if the individual 201 is driving apassenger from an origin to a destination (i.e., a trip), then theelectronic device 210 may monitor the telematics data during the trip.In some implementations, the individual 201 may specify when the set ofoperation data should be collected/recorded and when the set ofoperation data should not be collected/recorded. In otherimplementations, the vehicle 205 or the electronic device 210 mayautomatically detect or determine when the set of operation data shouldbe collected/recorded.

As discussed herein, the telematics data may be sensed or recorded by aset of sensors such as a braking sensor, a speedometer, a tachometer, athrottle position sensor, an accelerometer, an optical sensor, amicrophone, a gyroscope, a location module (e.g., GPS sensor), and/orothers. Further, the telematics data may constitute any movement data,location data, or any other data associated with the operation of thevehicle 205. For example, the telematics data may include vehicle lanedeviation, vehicle swerving, vehicle lane centering, vehicleacceleration along a single axis or multiple axes, turning data, routedata, speed data, vehicle distance to other objects, and/or other data.It should be appreciated that these types of sensors and measurablemetrics are merely examples and that other types of sensors andmeasurable metrics are envisioned. In some implementations, theelectronic device 210 may store the recorded telematics data in memory.In some optional implementations, the electronic device 210 may provide(238) the recorded telematics data to the vehicle manager 215, where thevehicle manager 215 may store the recorded telematics data in memory.

At some point in time, the individual 201 may attempt (240) to log outof the application or otherwise disassociate with the vehicle205/electronic device 210. In some embodiments, the individual 201 mayselect to end a metering operation of the application. In somescenarios, the individual 201 may complete a rental period with thevehicle 205. In other scenarios, the individual 201 may complete a tripwith a passenger. It should be appreciated that other scenarios for theindividual 201 ending a trip, session, period, or the like with theapplication and/or the vehicle 205 are envisioned. In someimplementations, the electronic device 210 may facilitate (242) thelogout with the vehicle manager 215, such that the vehicle manager 215can record the disassociation, the completed trip, the end of the rentalperiod, or the like.

The electronic device 210 may compile/analyze (244) the telematics data.In particular, the electronic device 210 may compile/analyze thetelematics data to identify any driving events associated with theoperation of the vehicle 205. As the telematics data is collected in araw format, the compilation and analysis may identify any driving eventsthat correspond to any portions of the telematics data. For example, thetelematics data may indicate a sudden deceleration, which the electronicdevice 210 may determine to be a hard braking event. For furtherexample, the telematics data may indicate a traveling speed of 100 mph,which the electronic device 210 may determine to be an excessingspeeding event.

The electronic device 210 may also calculate a driving score or similarmetric that may reflect a performance of the individual 201 duringoperation of the vehicle 205. In embodiments, the driving score may bebased on the type(s) and amount(s) of any identified driving event(s).For example, any “positive” driving events (e.g., staying under thespeed limit, staying on a determined route, etc.) may positivelyinfluence the driving score and any “negative” driving events (e.g.,hard brakes, sudden accelerations, etc.) may negatively influence thedriving score.

Based on the analysis, the electronic device 210 may determine (246)whether the individual 201 qualifies for an incentive, reward, penalty,and/or the like. In particular, the electronic device 210 may identifyany incentives, rewards, or the like (or in some cases, penalties,surcharges, or the like) that the individual 201 may qualify for basedon the telematics data, any identified driving events, and/or thecalculated driving score. For example, the incentive or reward may be adiscount, a monetary award or payment, a positive rating, a negativerating, a surcharge, and/or the like.

In some implementations, the incentive or reward qualification may bebased on the calculated driving score meeting or exceeding a qualitativeor quantitative threshold. In some scenarios, the electronic device 210may determine that a calculated driving score exceeds a certainthreshold value, and as a result qualifies the individual 201 for anincentive or reward. There may be a series of quantitative orqualitative threshold values, whereby different threshold valuescorrespond to different incentives or rewards. For example, if theindividual maintains a rating of 4.8 out of 5.0 over the course oftwenty (20) rental periods, then the individual may qualify for a freevehicle rental. For further example, if a driving score for theindividual 201 on a certain trip indicates multiple “negative” drivingevents, then the rating for the individual 201 may be subject to areduction. In some implementations, the incentive may be associated witha vehicle insurance policy of the individual. For example, the incentivemay be a discount on an insurance premium.

If the electronic device 210 determines that the individual 201 does notqualify for an incentive or reward (“NO”), processing may end or returnto any previous functionality. If the electronic device 210 determinesthat the individual 201 does qualify for an incentive or reward penalty(“YES”), the electronic device 210 may notify (248) the individual 201of the incentive or reward. In some embodiments, the electronic device210 may display a notification (e.g., via a dedicated application)indicating the incentive or reward. It should be appreciated that othercommunication channels for notifying of the incentive or reward areenvisioned.

The electronic device 210 may also communicate (250) the incentive orreward to the vehicle manager 215, or otherwise notify the vehiclemanager 215 of the incentive or reward. The vehicle manager 215 may thenupdate or reconcile (252) an account or profile associated with theindividual 201 to reflect the incentive or reward. In particular, thevehicle manager 215 may update a user profile associated with anapplication or service that facilitated the collection of the telematicsdata. In this regard, the user profile will be updated to reflect theincentive or reward when the individual 201 attempts to redeem orotherwise access the incentive or reward.

The individual 201 may subsequently attempt to redeem (254) or accessthe incentive or reward. For example, the individual 201 may attempt toredeem a discount or a monetary award. For further example, theindividual 201 may attempt to access a driver profile that includes arating based on the collected telematics data. It should be appreciatedthat other types of incentive/reward redeeming or accessing areenvisioned.

FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4A and 4B illustrate exemplary interfaces associated withpresenting various telematics data and associated functionalities withthe telematics data. An electronic device (e.g., a mobile device such asa smartphone) may be configured to display the interfaces and/or receiveselections and inputs via the interfaces. For example, a dedicatedapplication associated with a vehicle manager and configured to operateon the electronic device may display the interfaces. It should beappreciated that the interfaces are merely exemplary and thatalternative or additional content is envisioned.

FIGS. 3A and 3B include interfaces that are associated with an exemplaryride sharing service. The electronic device may belong to a driver whoparticipates in the ride sharing service by driving individuals ontrips. The driver may have a driver profile that is associated with theride sharing service, where the driver profile includes a driver ratingthat may reflect a performance of the driver based on any collectedtelematics data. In some embodiments, the driver rating may be acumulative rating that may be adjusted for each subsequent trip based onthe collected telematics data and any identified driving events.

Referring to FIG. 3A, an interface 350 includes a summary of anexemplary trip performed by the driver. The summary includes variousinformation associated with the trip, such as the date, pickup location,dropoff location, and trip duration. The summary further includes anamount 352 of detected driving events (as shown: 0). According toembodiments, a driving event may be associated with a negative orundesirable driving event or occurrence. For example, a driving eventmay include a hard brake, a rapid acceleration, a hard turn, a swerve,and/or another occurrence. It should be appreciated that “positive” ordesirable driving events are also envisioned.

The interface 350 further includes a description 353 of the tripsummary. As shown in FIG. 3A, the description 353 indicates that thedriver rating for the driver has increased, presumably because thedriver did not experience any driving events during the trip. In somescenarios, the increased rating may result in the driver attractingadditional customers or the driver qualifying for certain rewards orincentives. The driver may dismiss the interface 350 and proceed toanother interface via an “OKAY” selection 354.

FIG. 3B illustrates another interface 355 that is associated with thedriver profile. In particular, the interface 355 includes variousstatistics and information associated with the trips that the driver hascompleted for the ride sharing service. The interface 355 includesvarious information such as number of total trips, number of trips (yearto date), and average driving events per trip, average driving eventsper trip (year to date). The interface 355 also includes a drivingrating 356 that may reflect an aggregate performance of the driverduring the trips. As shown in FIG. 3B, the driving rating 356 is4.5/5.0. The interface 355 enables the driver to view more statisticsvia a “MORE STATS” selection 357 and enables the driver to dismiss theinterface 355 and proceed to another interface via an “OKAY” selection358.

FIGS. 4A and 4B include interfaces that are associated with an exemplaryvehicle rental service. The electronic device may belong to anindividual who rents a vehicle from the vehicle rental service. Theindividual may install, on the electronic device, a dedicatedapplication associated with the vehicle rental service, or may otherwiseaccess the interfaces via a web browser.

Referring to FIG. 4A, an interface 450 includes a summary of a vehiclerental instance. In particular, the electronic device may display theinterface 450 upon the individual returning a rented vehicle. Theinterface 450 includes a summary of the vehicle rental according totelematics data collected during the vehicle rental. In particular, thesummary indicates that the individual exercised an ample amount ofcaution during the vehicle rental (i.e., there may have been few or no“negative” driving events detected), which qualifies the individual fora $5.00 discount on a subsequent vehicle rental.

FIG. 4B illustrates another interface 455 that details informationassociated with an account that the individual has with the vehiclerental service. As illustrated in FIG. 4B, the information includes anumber of rentals and a date of last rental, and enables the individualto view more stats and information via a “VIEW” selection 456. Theinterface 455 further includes a credit balance associated with theindividual. In embodiments, the credit balance may reflect the amount ofcredits or discounts that the user has accrued over the course ofrenting the vehicles.

The interface 455 enables the individual to redeem any of the creditsvia a “REDEEM” selection 457. In particular, by selecting the “REDEEM”selection 457, the individual may be directed to an interface thatenables the user to book an additional vehicle rental with a discount,or redeem the credits for other products or services. The interface 455further includes an “OKAY” selection that enables the individual todismiss the interface 455 and proceed to another interface.

Referring to FIG. 5, depicted is a block diagram of an additionalexemplary method 500 of processing driving accounts associated withdetected driver events in a vehicle. The method 500 may be facilitatedby an electronic device that may be in direct or indirect communicationwith a back-end server, such as a back-end server associated with avehicle manager entity. The electronic device may support execution ofan application associated with the vehicle manager entity. Further, theelectronic device may enable a user (e.g., the driver) to make variousselections and facilitate various functionalities. In some embodiments,the driver may be an individual who rents a vehicle from a vehiclerental agency. In other embodiments, the driver may be a vehicleoperator in a ride sharing service. It should be appreciated that thedriver may be another individual having an account that may beinfluenced by the driver's operation of the vehicle.

The method 500 may begin when the electronic device associates (block505) the driver of the vehicle with the electronic device. Inembodiments, the electronic device may be located within the vehicle andmay also be configured to monitor, record, collect, or access telematicsdata associated with operation of the vehicle. The driver may associatedwith the electronic device, for example, by logging into the applicationexecuting on the electronic device. In some implementations, theback-end server may automatically associate the driver with theelectronic device, such as if the driver rents the vehicle and signs arental agreement.

The electronic device may track (block 510) operation of the vehicle bythe driver. In particular, the electronic device may interface with aset of internal or external sensors, and/or with an on-board telematicsplatform, that measure telematics data associated with the vehicleduring operation of the vehicle. The electronic device may collect orretrieve the telematics data from the sensors or other devices. Theelectronic device may also compile (block 515) a set of vehicleoperation data based on the operation of the vehicle. The set of vehicleoperation data may therefore represent the telematics data that iscollected or recorded during operation of the vehicle. The electronicdevice may optionally transmit the set of vehicle operation data to theback-end server.

The electronic device may determine (block 520) whether the vehicleoperation has concluded. In some scenarios, the vehicle operation mayautomatically conclude on a set time and/or date. In other scenarios,the vehicle operation may conclude upon a selection by the driver (e.g.,such as if the driver has finished a trip). If the vehicle operation hasnot concluded (“NO”), processing may return to block 510 in whichadditional vehicle operation may be tracked. If the vehicle operationhas concluded (“YES”), the electronic device may identify (block 525) aset of driving events from the set of vehicle operation data. Inembodiments, the set of driving events may include any events orinstances outside “normal” operation of the vehicle. For example, theset of driving events may include any hard turns, hard brakes, swerves,instances of speeding, hard accelerations, and/or the like. It should beappreciated that some of the set of driving events may be consideredpositive events, such as if the driver operates the vehicle under thespeed limit or avoids a hazardous road condition.

The electronic device may calculate (block 530) a quantitative drivingscore for the driver based on the set of driving events. It should beappreciated that the electronic device may use a variety of techniques,calculations, or algorithms to calculate the quantitative driving score.Further, in calculating the quantitative driving score, the electronicdevice may factor for the relative positive or negative events includedin the set of driving events. It should further be appreciated that thedriving score may be qualitative (e.g., bad, fair, good, excellent,etc.). Based on the quantitative driving score, the electronic devicemay determine (block 535) whether the driver is eligible for anincentive or reward. In some implementations, the eligibility may bebased on the quantitative driving score meeting or exceeding a certainthreshold. It should be appreciated that different quantitative drivingscores may quality for different incentives or rewards.

If the driver is not eligible for an incentive or reward (“NO”),processing may end or proceed to other functionality. If the driver iseligible for an incentive or reward (“YES”), the electronic device mayapply (block 540) the incentive or reward to an account or profileassociated with the driver. In particular, the electronic device mayinterface with the back-end server so that the back-end server mayreflect the incentive or reward in the account of the driver and thatthe driver may subsequently access the account to assess an associateddriver profile or qualified incentives/rewards. The electronic devicemay notify (block 545) the driver of the applied incentive or reward. Insome embodiments, the electronic device may display a notificationassociated with the application, or notify the driver according to othercommunication channels.

FIG. 6 illustrates a diagram of an exemplary electronic device 610 (suchas the electronic device 110 discussed with respect to FIG. 1) in whichthe functionalities as discussed herein may be implemented. It should beappreciated that the electronic device 610 may be configured to betransported in a vehicle and/or connect to an on-board telematicsplatform of the vehicle, as discussed herein.

The electronic device 610 may include a processor 622 as well as amemory 678. The memory 678 may store an operating system 679 capable offacilitating the functionalities as discussed herein as well as a set ofapplications 675 (i.e., machine readable instructions). For example, oneof the set of applications 675 may be a vehicle rental application 690configured to interface with a vehicle rental agency, and a ride shareapplication 691 configured to interface with a transportation networkcompany. It should be appreciated that one or more other applications692 are envisioned, such as an application associated with an insuranceprovider.

The processor 622 may interface with the memory 678 to execute theoperating system 679 and the set of applications 675. According to someembodiments, the memory 678 may also store vehicle operation data 680that is collected during operation of a vehicle. In someimplementations, the vehicle rental application 690 and/or the rideshare application 691 may store the vehicle operation data 680 in thememory 687. The memory 678 may include one or more forms of volatileand/or non-volatile, fixed and/or removable memory, such as read-onlymemory (ROM), electronic programmable read-only memory (EPROM), randomaccess memory (RAM), erasable electronic programmable read-only memory(EEPROM), and/or other hard drives, flash memory, MicroSD cards, andothers.

The electronic device 610 may further include a communication module 677configured to communicate data via one or more networks 620. Accordingto some embodiments, the communication module 677 may include one ormore transceivers (e.g., WWAN, WLAN, and/or WPAN transceivers)functioning in accordance with IEEE standards, 3GPP standards, or otherstandards, and configured to receive and transmit data via one or moreexternal ports 676. Further, the communication module 677 may include ashort-range network component (e.g., an RFID reader) configured forshort-range network communications. For example, the communicationmodule 677 may receive, via the network 620, telematics data from anon-board telematics platform or from a set of sensors of a vehicle. Forfurther example, the communication module 677 may transmit data to andreceive data from a back-end server via the network 620. The electronicdevice 610 may further include a set of sensors 684 (e.g., a locationmodule, an accelerometer, orientation sensor, etc.). Although not shownin FIG. 6, the electronic device 610 may further include any biometricsreaders or components to enable authentication with an individual.

The electronic device 610 may further include a user interface 681configured to present information to a user and/or receive inputs fromthe user. As shown in FIG. 6, the user interface 681 may include adisplay screen 682 and I/O components 683 (e.g., ports, capacitive orresistive touch sensitive input panels, keys, buttons, lights, LEDs,speakers, microphones). According to some embodiments, the user mayaccess the electronic device 610 via the user interface 681 to makevarious selections, log into any of the set of applications 675, and/orperform other functions. In some embodiments, the electronic device 610may perform the functionalities as discussed herein as part of a “cloud”network or may otherwise communicate with other hardware or softwarecomponents within the cloud to send, retrieve, or otherwise analyzedata.

In general, a computer program product in accordance with an embodimentmay include a computer usable storage medium (e.g., standard randomaccess memory (RAM), an optical disc, a universal serial bus (USB)drive, or the like) having computer-readable program code embodiedtherein, wherein the computer-readable program code may be adapted to beexecuted by the processor 622 (e.g., working in connection with theoperating system 679) to facilitate the functions as described herein.In this regard, the program code may be implemented in any desiredlanguage, and may be implemented as machine code, assembly code, bytecode, interpretable source code or the like (e.g., via C, C++, Java,Actionscript, Objective-C, Javascript, CSS, XML). In some embodiments,the computer program product may be part of a cloud network ofresources.

FIG. 7 illustrates a diagram of an exemplary processing server 730 (suchas the processing server 130 as discussed with respect to FIG. 1) inwhich the functionalities as discussed herein may be implemented. Itshould be appreciated that the processing server 730 may be associatedwith a vehicle manager entity, as discussed herein.

The processing server 730 may include a processor 722, as well as amemory 778. The memory 778 may store an operating system 779 capable offacilitating the functionalities as discussed herein as well as a set ofapplications 775 (i.e., machine readable instructions). For example, oneof the set of applications 775 may be an operation processingapplication 784 configured to analyze vehicle operation data anddetermine any corresponding incentives or rewards. It should beappreciated that other applications 790 are envisioned.

The processor 722 may interface with the memory 778 to execute theoperating system 779 and the set of applications 775. According to someembodiments, the memory 778 may also store vehicle operation data 780received from electronic devices associated with vehicles. Although notshown in FIG. 7, the memory 778 may also store user account or profiledata such that the operation processing application 784 may update ormodify any user accounts or profiles based on an analysis of the vehicleoperation data 780. The memory 778 may include one or more forms ofvolatile and/or non-volatile, fixed and/or removable memory, such asread-only memory (ROM), electronic programmable read-only memory(EPROM), random access memory (RAM), erasable electronic programmableread-only memory (EEPROM), and/or other hard drives, flash memory,MicroSD cards, and others.

The processing server 730 may further include a communication module 777configured to communicate data via one or more networks 720. Accordingto some embodiments, the communication module 777 may include one ormore transceivers (e.g., WWAN, WLAN, and/or WPAN transceivers)functioning in accordance with IEEE standards, 3GPP standards, or otherstandards, and configured to receive and transmit data via one or moreexternal ports 776. For example, the communication module 777 mayreceive, via the network 720, usage events detected by an electronicdevice traveling in a vehicle. The processing server 730 may furtherinclude a user interface 781 configured to present information to a userand/or receive inputs from the user. As shown in FIG. 7, the userinterface 781 may include a display screen 782 and I/O components 783(e.g., ports, capacitive or resistive touch sensitive input panels,keys, buttons, lights, LEDs, speakers, microphones). According to someembodiments, the user may access the processing server 730 via the userinterface 781 to process various user accounts and/or perform otherfunctions. In some embodiments, the processing server 730 may performthe functionalities as discussed herein as part of a “cloud” network ormay otherwise communicate with other hardware or software componentswithin the cloud to send, retrieve, or otherwise analyze data.

In general, a computer program product in accordance with an embodimentmay include a computer usable storage medium (e.g., standard randomaccess memory (RAM), an optical disc, a universal serial bus (USB)drive, or the like) having computer-readable program code embodiedtherein, wherein the computer-readable program code may be adapted to beexecuted by the processor 722 (e.g., working in connection with theoperating system 779) to facilitate the functions as described herein.In this regard, the program code may be implemented in any desiredlanguage, and/or may be implemented as machine code, assembly code, bytecode, interpretable source code or the like (e.g., via C, C++, Java,Actionscript, Objective-C, Javascript, CSS, XML). In some embodiments,the computer program product may be part of a cloud network ofresources.

Although the following text sets forth a detailed description ofnumerous different embodiments, it should be understood that the legalscope of the invention may be defined by the words of the claims setforth at the end of this patent. The detailed description is to beconstrued as exemplary only and does not describe every possibleembodiment, as describing every possible embodiment would beimpractical, if not impossible. One could implement numerous alternateembodiments, using either current technology or technology developedafter the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within thescope of the claims.

Throughout this specification, plural instances may implementcomponents, operations, or structures described as a single instance.Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustratedand described as separate operations, one or more of the individualoperations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that theoperations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures andfunctionality presented as separate components in example configurationsmay be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly,structures and functionality presented as a single component may beimplemented as separate components. These and other variations,modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of thesubject matter herein.

Additionally, certain embodiments are described herein as includinglogic or a number of routines, subroutines, applications, orinstructions. These may constitute either software (e.g., code embodiedon a non-transitory, machine-readable medium) or hardware. In hardware,the routines, etc., are tangible units capable of performing certainoperations and may be configured or arranged in a certain manner. Inexample embodiments, one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone,client or server computer system) or one or more hardware modules of acomputer system (e.g., a processor or a group of processors) may beconfigured by software (e.g., an application or application portion) asa hardware module that operates to perform certain operations asdescribed herein.

In various embodiments, a hardware module may be implementedmechanically or electronically. For example, a hardware module maycomprise dedicated circuitry or logic that may be permanently configured(e.g., as a special-purpose processor, such as a field programmable gatearray (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) toperform certain operations. A hardware module may also compriseprogrammable logic or circuitry (e.g., as encompassed within ageneral-purpose processor or other programmable processor) that may betemporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. Itwill be appreciated that the decision to implement a hardware modulemechanically, in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or intemporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may bedriven by cost and time considerations.

Accordingly, the term “hardware module” should be understood toencompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physicallyconstructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarilyconfigured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner or toperform certain operations described herein. Considering embodiments inwhich hardware modules are temporarily configured (e.g., programmed),each of the hardware modules need not be configured or instantiated atany one instance in time. For example, where the hardware modulescomprise a general-purpose processor configured using software, thegeneral-purpose processor may be configured as respective differenthardware modules at different times. Software may accordingly configurea processor, for example, to constitute a particular hardware module atone instance of time and to constitute a different hardware module at adifferent instance of time.

Hardware modules may provide information to, and receive informationfrom, other hardware modules. Accordingly, the described hardwaremodules may be regarded as being communicatively coupled. Where multipleof such hardware modules exist contemporaneously, communications may beachieved through signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuitsand buses) that connect the hardware modules. In embodiments in whichmultiple hardware modules are configured or instantiated at differenttimes, communications between such hardware modules may be achieved, forexample, through the storage and retrieval of information in memorystructures to which the multiple hardware modules have access. Forexample, one hardware module may perform an operation and store theoutput of that operation in a memory device to which it may becommunicatively coupled. A further hardware module may then, at a latertime, access the memory device to retrieve and process the storedoutput. Hardware modules may also initiate communications with input oroutput devices, and may operate on a resource (e.g., a collection ofinformation).

The various operations of example methods described herein may beperformed, at least partially, by one or more processors that aretemporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured toperform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented modulesthat operate to perform one or more operations or functions. The modulesreferred to herein may, in some example embodiments, compriseprocessor-implemented modules.

Similarly, the methods or routines described herein may be at leastpartially processor-implemented. For example, at least some of theoperations of a method may be performed by one or more processors orprocessor-implemented hardware modules. The performance of certain ofthe operations may be distributed among the one or more processors, notonly residing within a single machine, but deployed across a number ofmachines. In some example embodiments, the processor or processors maybe located in a single location (e.g., within a home environment, anoffice environment, or as a server farm), while in other embodiments theprocessors may be distributed across a number of locations.

The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed amongthe one or more processors, not only residing within a single machine,but deployed across a number of machines. In some example embodiments,the one or more processors or processor-implemented modules may belocated in a single geographic location (e.g., within a homeenvironment, an office environment, or a server farm). In other exampleembodiments, the one or more processors or processor-implemented modulesmay be distributed across a number of geographic locations.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, discussions herein using wordssuch as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,”“presenting,” “displaying,” or the like may refer to actions orprocesses of a machine (e.g., a computer) that manipulates or transformsdata represented as physical (e.g., electronic, magnetic, or optical)quantities within one or more memories (e.g., volatile memory,non-volatile memory, or a combination thereof), registers, or othermachine components that receive, store, transmit, or displayinformation.

As used herein any reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment”means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristicdescribed in connection with the embodiment may be included in at leastone embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” invarious places in the specification are not necessarily all referring tothe same embodiment.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “may include,”“including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, areintended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process,method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is notnecessarily limited to only those elements but may include otherelements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method,article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary,“or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example,a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true(or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or notpresent) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (orpresent).

In addition, use of the “a” or “an” are employed to describe elementsand components of the embodiments herein. This is done merely forconvenience and to give a general sense of the description. Thisdescription, and the claims that follow, should be read to include oneor at least one and the singular also may include the plural unless itis obvious that it is meant otherwise.

This detailed description is to be construed as examples and does notdescribe every possible embodiment, as describing every possibleembodiment would be impractical, if not impossible. One could implementnumerous alternate embodiments, using either current technology ortechnology developed after the filing date of this application.

What is claimed:
 1. A computer-implemented method of processing driveraccounts associated with detected driver events in a vehicle, the methodcomprising: detecting, by an electronic device located within thevehicle, a driver of the vehicle via a short-range communication;detecting, within an application executing on the electronic device, aselection by the driver to initiate a trip; facilitating a login of thedriver with a vehicle manager entity associated with the vehicle, thelogin resulting in a temporary association of the driver with thevehicle for the trip, wherein the driver has a cumulative driver ratingreflective of at least one prior performance by the driver during atleast one prior temporary association with the vehicle; afterfacilitating the login, tracking, by one or more processors associatedwith the electronic device, operation of the vehicle by the driverduring the trip, the tracking facilitated by a set of sensors associatedwith at least one of the electronic device and the vehicle and resultingin a set of vehicle operation data, the set of sensors including atleast an accelerometer; detecting a logout of the driver with thevehicle manager entity, the logout reflective of a conclusion of (i) theoperation of the vehicle by the driver and (ii) the temporaryassociation of the driver with the vehicle; responsive to detecting thelogout, analyzing, by the one or more processors associated with theelectronic device the set of vehicle operation data to calculate, forthe driver, a quantitative driving score associated with the operationof the vehicle; adjusting the cumulative driver rating for the driver toreflect the quantitative driving score; and determining, by the one ormore processors associated with the electronic device, that the driverqualifies for a reward when the cumulative driver rating has maintainedat least a threshold rating over a course of the temporary associationand the at least one prior temporary association.
 2. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the facilitating thelogin comprises: enabling the driver to log into the applicationexecuting on the electronic device.
 3. The computer-implemented methodof claim 1, wherein the tracking the operation of the vehicle by thedriver comprises: detecting initiation of the operation of the vehicleby the driver; and responsive to detecting the initiation of theoperation of the vehicle, tracking the operation of the vehicle by thedriver.
 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein thetracking the operation of the vehicle by the driver comprises:retrieving, by the electronic device, the set of vehicle operation datafrom a telematics platform associated with the vehicle, the telematicsplatform connected to the set of sensors.
 5. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1, wherein the detecting the logout of the drivercomprises: receiving, from the driver via the electronic device, aselection of the conclusion of the operation of the vehicle.
 6. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing the set ofvehicle operation data to calculate the quantitative driving score forthe driver comprises: identifying a set of driving events from the setof vehicle operation data; and calculating the quantitative drivingscore for the driver based on the set of driving events.
 7. Anelectronic device associated with a vehicle for processing driveraccounts associated with detected driver events in the vehicle,comprising: a communication interface for collecting data; a memorystoring non-transitory computer executable instructions included in anapplication; and a particularly programmed processor interfaced with thecommunication interface, wherein the processor executes the applicationto cause the processor to: detect a driver of the vehicle via ashort-range communication; detect, within the application, a selectionby the driver to initiate a trip; facilitate a login of the driver witha vehicle manager entity associated with the vehicle, the loginresulting in a temporary association of the driver with the vehicle forthe trip, wherein the driver has a cumulative driver rating reflectiveof at least one prior performance by the driver during at least oneprior temporary association with the vehicle; after facilitating thelogin, track, via the communication interface, operation of the vehicleby the driver during the trip, the tracking facilitated by a set ofsensors associated with at least one of the electronic device and thevehicle and resulting in a set of vehicle operation data, the set ofsensors including at least an accelerometer; detect a logout of thedriver with the vehicle manager entity, the logout reflective of aconclusion of (i) the operation of the vehicle by the driver and (ii)the temporary association of the driver with the vehicle; responsive todetecting the logout, analyze the set of vehicle operation data tocalculate, for the driver, a quantitative driving score associated withthe operation of the vehicle; adjust the cumulative driver rating forthe driver to reflect the quantitative driving score; and determine thatthe driver qualifies for a reward when the cumulative driver rating hasmaintained at least a threshold rating over a course of the temporaryassociation and the at least one prior temporary association.
 8. Theelectronic device of claim 7, wherein to facilitate the login, theprocessor is configured to: enable the driver to log into theapplication.
 9. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein to track theoperation of the vehicle by the driver, the processor is configured to:retrieve, via the communication interface, the set of vehicle operationdata from a telematics platform associated with the vehicle, thetelematics platform connected to the set of sensors.
 10. The electronicdevice of claim 7, wherein to detect the logout of the driver, theprocessor is configured to: receive, from the driver, a selection of theconclusion of the operation of the vehicle.
 11. The electronic device ofclaim 7, wherein to analyze the set of vehicle operation data tocalculate the quantitative driving score for the driver, the processoris configured to: identify a set of driving events from the set ofvehicle operation data; and calculate the quantitative driving score forthe driver based on the set of driving events.